News Release

Friday, January 6, 2012

The officers involved in the below officer-involved shooting has been identified as Police Officer II Guillermo Espinoza, 6 years, 11 months with the Department and Police Officer William Allen 5 years with the Department.

On Thursday, January 5, 2012, around 10:45 p.m., Officers from Southwest Division's Gang Enforcement Detail initiated a traffic stop on a vehicle with 3 occupants. As the officers were exiting their patrol vehicle, the front passenger of the suspect vehicle exited the vehicle armed with a sawed-off shotgun at which time an officer involved shooting occurred. The suspect was struck and was taken into custody.

Los Angeles Fire Department Paramedics were requested and transported the suspect to a local hospital where he is listed in unknown condition. The driver and additional occupant of the suspect vehicle were not injured during the incident. The driver and additional passenger were detained pending further investigation. No officers were injured during the incident.

The LAPD Force Investigation Division responded to the incident and will conduct a thorough investigation of the officer-involved shooting and all related crimes. The investigation will ultimately be reviewed by the Chief of Police, the Office of the Inspector General and Board of Police Commissioners for compliance with the Department’s use-of-force policy which states that an officer’s use-of-force actions must be objectively reasonable.

Anyone with information about this incident is urged to call Force Investigation Division at 213-486-5230. During non-business hours or on weekends, calls should be directed to 1-877-LAPD-24-7 (877-527-3247). Anyone wishing to remain anonymous should call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (800-222-8477). Tipsters may also contact Crime Stoppers by texting to phone number 274637 (C-R-I-M-E-S on most keypads) with a cell phone. All text messages should begin with the letters “LAPD.” Tipsters may also go to LAPDOnline.org, click on "webtips" and follow the prompts.